Though you may not be living with diabetes, your body could be battling against the hormone insulin. The condition, called insulin resistance, occurs when insulin can't effectively do its job. "People often don't realize that insulin resistance can develop into diabetes," said Dawn Sherr, a diabetes educator for the American Association of Diabetes Educators. "And if they're not aware they're insulin resistant, they don't know what steps they can take to prevent it. " Insulin resistance...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with diets rich in foods like berries, chocolate, red wine and tea also have reduced inflammation and insulin resistance - a diabetes precursor, according to new UK research. Flavonoids are chemical compounds found in colorful fruits and vegetables, and laboratory studies suggest they may offer a variety of health benefits. "The aim of this study was to add more weight to these findings by starting to unravel how they work in humans,"...

A crucial tool in controlling diabetes is being vigilant about what you put in your mouth. But, some experts say, you don't have to be a slave to the glycemic index or banish cake and ice cream forever. The primary goal for diabetics is to regulate their blood glucose (sugar) levels because they can't rely on their bodies to naturally produce enough insulin, the hormone that shuttles glucose from the bloodstream into cells. With Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin, while with Type 2,...

The condition increases type 2 diabetes risk. People with psoriasis suffer from chronic patches of irritated, flaky skin. A new study finds that psoriasis may also put people at risk for another chronic disease: type 2 diabetes. A recent study in Archives of Dermatology found a strong correlation between the two. "Both diseases are driven by inflammation," says Dr. Jeffrey Sobell, a dermatologist at Harvard-affiliated New England Baptist Hospital who's considered an...

The condition increases type 2 diabetes risk. People with psoriasis suffer from chronic patches of irritated, flaky skin. A new study finds that psoriasis may also put people at risk for another chronic disease: type 2 diabetes. A recent study in Archives of Dermatology found a strong correlation between the two. "Both diseases are driven by inflammation," says Dr. Jeffrey Sobell, a dermatologist at Harvard-affiliated New England Baptist Hospital who's considered an...

Q: My friend's 89-year-old father has been obese all his life and his diet is awful. But his blood sugar is normal, and his total cholesterol is 122. And his doctor tells him he has the heart of a 30-year-old. How is that possible? A: The new term for this condition is metabolically healthy obesity. Not many obese people are fortunate enough to have this favorable condition. It means that despite being obese, a person has a risk of getting diabetes and heart...

It was not the latest wonder in high-tech medicine that helped Nancy Alper become pregnant last year after more than two emotionally trying years of expensive and sometimes uncomfortable fertility treatments. Instead, the seeming miracle maker was a medical sleuth at Highland Park Hospital who determined that Alper's inability to conceive was caused by a hidden but easily treatable problem not generally associated with reproduction. Following a hunch based on several medical...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who had used marijuana in the past month had smaller waists and lower levels of insulin resistance - a diabetes precursor - than those who never tried the drug, in a new study. The findings, based on surveys and blood tests of about 4,700 U.S. adults, aren't enough to prove marijuana keeps users thin or wards off disease. And among current pot smokers, higher amounts of marijuana use weren't linked to any added health benefits, researchers reported...

While the obesity epidemic garners headlines, you may not have heard of metabolic syndrome. Yet this health threat affects 47 million adults in the United States. The low profile may be because metabolic syndrome isn't a disease but a cluster of disorders of your body's metabolism, including high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, excess body weight and abnormal lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride) levels. Doctors have talked about this group of risk factors for years,...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People can safely add a few nuts to their diet - or replace other foods with the high-unsaturated fat, high-fiber snacks - without gaining weight, a new review of past studies suggests. Researchers combined data from 31 trials conducted across the globe and found that on average, there was very little difference in changes in weight or waist measurements between people who were put on a normal or nut-supplemented diet. "Most of the nut-enriched...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with diets rich in foods like berries, chocolate, red wine and tea also have reduced inflammation and insulin resistance - a diabetes precursor, according to new UK research. Flavonoids are chemical compounds found in colorful fruits and vegetables, and laboratory studies suggest they may offer a variety of health benefits. "The aim of this study was to add more weight to these findings by starting to unravel how they work in humans,"...

A crucial tool in controlling diabetes is being vigilant about what you put in your mouth. But, some experts say, you don't have to be a slave to the glycemic index or banish cake and ice cream forever. The primary goal for diabetics is to regulate their blood glucose (sugar) levels because they can't rely on their bodies to naturally produce enough insulin, the hormone that shuttles glucose from the bloodstream into cells. With Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin, while with Type 2,...

Babies born in cold weather appear to have more heart disease and insulin resistance, higher triglycerides and poorer lung function later in life than those born when it's warm out. The association comes from a health study of 4,286 British women, ages 60 to 79. Researchers determined the dates and locations of their births, then used climate records to pinpoint conditions at birth. The association between lower outdoor temperature and later ill health is consistent with the theory that...

Though you may not be living with diabetes, your body could be battling against the hormone insulin. The condition, called insulin resistance, occurs when insulin can't effectively do its job. "People often don't realize that insulin resistance can develop into diabetes," said Dawn Sherr, a diabetes educator for the American Association of Diabetes Educators. "And if they're not aware they're insulin resistant, they don't know what steps they can take to prevent it. " Insulin resistance...

The latest "man bites dog" nutrition news-- that pasta makes you gain weight--may get the award for the year's most popular diet myth. Maybe you weren't a believer, even when The New York Times and other publications reported that a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet can trigger an increase in insulin if you are among a large segment of the population with a condition called insulin resistance. That in turn can make you fat. But the articles didn't get it quite right. Late in May The Times printed a...

LONDON (Reuters) - Half of all people of South Asian, African and African Caribbean descent living in Britain will develop diabetes by age 80, scientists said on Monday in research which also points to an alarming future for rates of the disease in Africa and Asia. In the first study to reveal the extent of ethnic differences in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, researchers said it seems a "Westernised" lifestyle of urban living with a poor diet and a lack...

Getting some sun The average American gets 90 percent of his vitamin D from sunlight. As the days shorten and darken in winter, there's a good chance that many people will get too little sun exposure, leading to insufficient levels of vitamin D. This can weaken bones, worsen arthritis and possibly increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes, notes a story in the November issue of Consumer Reports on Health. People who are at highest risk of having...

Q. I've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea. Is there any connection between the two? A. There's one sure connection between type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea -- if you're overweight, you have an increased risk of developing both conditions. But it's an unsettled question whether sleep apnea might somehow increase your chances of getting type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, usually develops during adulthood...

Adult-type diabetes is showing up in more children and teenagers, especially among overweight kids who lead sedentary lifestyles, according to several studies released Saturday. The type of diabetes that typically occurs in overweight older adults is becoming more prevalent in children and adolescents, said the five studies, released at the American Diabetes Association's annual session in San Diego. The results raised fears that complications from the disease, including...